Issue 5, 2023

Recent advances in the treatment and recycling of mineral processing wastewater

Abstract

Mineral processing wastewater (MPW), known as one of the main industrial sources of pollution, contains various organic and inorganic substances, such as flotation reagents, metal ions and suspended mineral particles. Thus, it is essential to treat wastewater properly to achieve standard discharge or recycling. In this study, the main sources of MPW contaminants and restrictive factors related to recycling are analyzed. Current techniques for the treatment and recycling of MPW are reviewed. Physicochemical treatments, such as natural sedimentation, neutralization, and coagulation–flocculation, which have a widespread application in beneficiation plants, are debatable owing to their low efficiency, particularly for wastewater containing recalcitrant pollutants. Biological treatments are effective in the degradation of various flotation reagents and have been successfully applied in some non-ferrous metal beneficiation plants. Although several technologies, especially advanced oxidation processes (AOPs), are emerging as promising candidates for MPW treatment, there are few reports on the full-scale application of these processes in the mineral processing industry. To achieve successful implementation of water recycling, the key quality parameters of recycled water affecting the beneficiation process must be evaluated. Therefore, choosing appropriate approaches to achieve wastewater cyclic utilization is a considerable challenge for future mineral processing plants. We hope that this review will help people better understand the state of the art of MPW management, treatment, and recycling.

Graphical abstract: Recent advances in the treatment and recycling of mineral processing wastewater

Article information

Article type
Tutorial Review
Submitted
13 déc. 2022
Accepted
13 mars 2023
First published
14 mars 2023

Environ. Sci.: Water Res. Technol., 2023,9, 1290-1304

Recent advances in the treatment and recycling of mineral processing wastewater

G. Jing, X. Meng, W. Sun, P. B. Kowalczuk and Z. Gao, Environ. Sci.: Water Res. Technol., 2023, 9, 1290 DOI: 10.1039/D2EW00944G

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements